Ground cover for rocket launching equipment



Nov. 4, 1958 R. O. HENDRIX GROUND COVER FOR ROCKET LAUNCHING EQUIPMENT Filed June 50, 1955 2,853,736 Patented Nov. 4, 1958 (GROUND COVER FOR ROCKET LAUNCHING EQUIPMENT Ray Hendrix, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, assignorto The B. F. Goodrich Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June 30, 1955, Serial No. 519,073 1 Claim. (c1. 89-1 This invention relates toground covers, especially suitable for use with equipment forlaunchingrockets and similar apparatus to minimize soil erosion; and .the formation of clouds of dust and otherdamage' at a launching site. t

The launching blast of propellent gases from rockettype projectiles tends to devastate exposed ground area 1 This is particularly obvJ near the launching equipment.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view somewhat similar to Fig. 2 but showing another preferred mode of interconnecting adjoining sections.

The cover in its fully assembled condition (see Fig. 1) is annular in shape and is thereby adapted to cover an extensive area completely surrounding the base of a rocket launching apparatus. The drawings do not jectionable in connection with portable launching equipment for ordnancerocket missiles since the resulting clouds of dust and dirt seriously. handicap the equipment operators, are injurious ment and disclose the location ment. launching equipment unstable to the launching equipof the, launching equip- Also, such severe soilerosion renders 'portable I and makes it very dif-. ficult to' drive a vehicle close to the launcher todeliver ammunition -At permanent launching sites this prob- 2 lem has been minimized by :the use of concrete .platforms but this is obviously unsuitable for portable equip-' Metal ground covers have been proposed. hereto- 5 '35 thus interferingwith the traflic of loading vehicles and the equipment I ment.

fore, but these have been objectionably heavy, subject .towarpage and become heated rapidly,

operators.

Ground covers made in accordance with this invention are highly resistant to weather and to heat, 'flame and abrasion and erosionresulting from the gaseous discharge accompanying jectiles. tive firings and are highly portable. coversare an assemblage'of mutually engageable' flat cover sections which may be quickly and "easily assem bled at a launching site adjacent to paratus. her-like materials and preferably the sections are reinforced with fabric or the like to minimize stretching and displacement of the cover resulting from the force of the launching blast. The rubber sections have sufficient flexibility to conform generally to thecontour of the ground surface and individual. sections are easily replaceable if the cover structure is locally damaged. Theseveral' sections arefo'rr'n'd and lassembled so that regardless .of the direction in which'a missile is fired, the" junction'bet'ween adjoiningseetions exposed directly to the launching blast extends in the direction of the effective force of the blast. Means is provided for releasably interconnecting adjoining sections so that the junctions of adjoining sections are impervious to the blast of propellent gases accompanying a launching.

A cover structure of preferred form embodying this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the cover structure in its assembled condition; r

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view through a junction of contiguous sections taken along the line 2--2of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

the launching ,of such pro- These covers will withstand indefinite consecu- In structure the the launchingap- The several cover sections are formed of rubillustrate any particular launching apparatus but it should be understood that such apparatus may be positioned edges 15 and 16 of each section to the corresponding.

edges of adjoining sections so that the narrow ends 18 of all of the sections are disposed adjacent each other and the outer wide ends 19 of the sections collectively form the outer periphery of the cover.

The inner narrow ends 18 of the several sections 12 are each engaged with a flat central annular member 22 in which the central opening 11 of the cover is formed. The central annular member 22 is formed of two long arcuate segments 23 and two shorter segments 24 which fit intermediate and in abutting relation to the ends of the segments 23. As shown in Figure 3, the inner end 18 of each sector Section is rabbeted at numeral 25 to receive the outer margin 26 of the central annular member. The inner end 18 of each section also includes a hole 27 which registers with one of a tral member 22 and both the central member and the inner'end of each sector section are anchored to'the ground by a stake 30 which is 27 and 28 into the ground. ber 22 extends radially inwardly a short distance from the inner ends 18 of the sector Sections and as previously noted a launching mechanism may rest directly on the central annular member or the ground area exposed at the opening 11 of the central annular member. The short segments 24 of the central annular member are each provided with a slot 32 through which electrical wiring, etc. (not shown) necessary to operate the launching apparatus may be directed. Such wiring will normally extend under the ground cover apparatus from a source remote from protected by the cover from launching blasts.

The radial edges 15 and 16 sections 12 are fastened together in abutting relation by connector strips 35 (see Fig. 2) which overlap and interlock with the margins of the adjoining edges 15 and 16. As shown in Figure 2, there is a rabbet 36, formed along the margin of each radial edge 15 and 16 of each sector section so that when the sections are assembled, the rabbets of the adjoining edges form channels to receive the connector strips 35. The condriven through the holes the cover and is being destroyed by the nector strips fit into these rabbets so that the plane upper the upper The connector strips of the sector sections The central annular mem-v to the launching of adjoining sector-shaped 1' a) in abutting relation and then a connector strip 35 is laid over these edges and its dovetail ribs 38 are then snapped into their respective grooves 39 in the sector sections. This assembly may be made very quickly andcasily and the connector strips 35 may be remojv to di sasserribl e the cover sections with comparative eas H v g It will be noted that'the connecto .z strips.. 3 5 ..cxt e nd radially outwardly from the central .annulaprnemher 22:; and a launching apparatus which may.be positioned,there on. Normally this apparatusfmay begtrained throughc; 360 and missiles may be fired fronrany position inthis path. It is therefore evident that regardlessof the fir i ng position of the apparatus, the connector; strips 35 ,s u jected to the launching blast will. extend in th e same direction as the effective forceof a launchingblast. Also, the overlapping and interlocking mode of engagementv of the connector strips with the radial margins of .the sector sections provides a junction between the sector sections; which is impervious to a blast of propelle'nt gases and. therefore such gases cannot penetrate beneath the cover and'tear it apart.

Preferably, the cover at its outer periphery is secured to the ground'by U-shaped stakes 42, thele gs of which, extend through holes 43 formed near. the corners of each. section adjacent the outer. periphery of the cover. Fig. 2 I shows that the stakes 42 bridge over the connector strips- 35 from one section to another. to provide further resistance I displacement or the sections by me rorce vor a launching blast. i

The ground engaging side of each of the sector section s in this embodiment of the invention is reinforced with several plies 45 of stretch-resistant fabricmaterial which are preferably coated and impregnated with rubber material and are vulcanized to the bottom surface of the sector-shaped sections. These plies advantageously strengthen the sector sections against.stretchingiandtend to minimize flex cracking of the sections. One type fabric A suitable for this purpose is square-woven duck fa bricl such as is commonly used as plies for. rubber conveyor belts.

Preferably the upper surfaceof the connector strips; 35 are similarly reinforced with one or more plies, of similar fabric to minimize stretching and distortion of the connector strips when subjected to the heat of the pro-. pellent gases. Y

The rubber-like material preferred for forming the. sector-shaped sections, the connector strips, and also thesegments of the central annularrnember 22 is preferably a rubber compound resistant to heat, flame and abrasion.

Compounds for example, which are satisfactory in these} respects include the type of compoundsof either natural or man-made rubbery materials which .are in use at the as r -3e shapes desired but they may be also shaped by cutting the parts from fully vulcanized slab stock. Preferably" the sector-shaped mat sections and the central annular member are in the order of about 1" thick.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4 a projecting lip is formed along radial-edge .15a of each sector section integral withnthe.bodyof the section whereas the other radial" edge 16a of each .sectionisrabbeted and grooved in the same manner as described in connection with the assembly zshown'sin Pig... 2.. The sections of Fig. 4 are assembled so. that the projecting-lip 50-overlaps the margins of the rabbeted edges 16a of the adjoining sections. The lip 50 includes a dovetail-shaped rib 38a which interlocks with a corresponding dovetail-shaped groove 39:: in the adjoining section. This construction may be used where the effective force of the blast gases is not as great as that in larger missiles and the like.

Variations in the structure disclosed may be made within thezscope-of the appended claim.

l iclaimz:

Atflexible protective ground 'cover comprising an as-' semblage of fiat individual imperforate fabric-reinforced rubber sector-shaped :sections eachincluding a pair of radiallydiverging-side edges extending from an inner-- narrow end. toan outer wide-end-pf each section andhaving .-aground-engaging;v side and an upper side, the

sectionsnfitting together inlaterally contiguous relation with their .respective radial edgesdirected toward correspondingtedges of. adjoining-sections and with their respective innernarrow ends disposed adjacent the corresponding innerenarrow ends-of adjoining sections, the complete:assemblage being annular and adapted to surroundzan.extensivedarea adjacent the-base of launching apparatusrdor. rocket-propelled objects, an annular central membe1:,.:.means .fastening said central member to theinnen endrof' each: said-.section-Jo secure I said sectionsagainst-displacement fronrtheforceof the launching j blast oflsaid objects,- a rabbet formed in-eachof said side edges of eachsectionalongthe margins of the upper side thereof and extending thecomplete length of said edges-- from said inner end to said outer end, the rabbeted por-. tions. of adjoining :sections. .fitting together to define-a 1 channel,,,flexible resilient. rubber connecting strips overpresent time for automobile tire treads. One highly,

abrasive-resistant elastomeric material which is particularly suitable for this service is .ma teriabknown as Armorite now manufactured by The B. F. Goodrich lapping the. abutting edges ofsaidmembers and disposed intsaid channels, means on said connectorstripsand insaid rabbeted;portions mutually. interlocked to provide a releasable connection between said adjoining sections impervious to the blast. of propellent gases from saidobjects accompanying launching, and means interconnecting the'adjoining-scctions near said outer edges-of said sections-andganchoring saidsections to the ground.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENT S- "uh-l 

